The Viceroy butterfly closely resembles the Monarch, with orange-brown wings and bold black veins. However, it can be distinguished by a horizontal black line across its hind wings. Viceroys are found throughout much of North America.

 

Viceroy Butterfly” by Benny Mazur, licensed under (CC BY 2.0)

 

Viceroy Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Limenitidinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 2 1/2 – 3 3/8 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Moist open or shrubby areas such as lake and swamp edges, willow thickets, valley bottoms, wet meadows, and roadsides

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

  • Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides)

  • Poplars (Populus spp.)

  • Willows (Salix spp.)

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Viceroy butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:

  • Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

  • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

  • Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

  • Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

  • Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

  • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

  • Vervain (Verbena spp.)